sand to snow

i just got back from a five mile run in the snow. it's not actually snowing, but the streets were covered from yesterday's downfall, so we crunched along through the powder and slush. it was actually quite invigorating and running at night with the blanket of white and the moon lighting the way was beautiful. i'm trying to get used to snow being a part of my winter reality. so far so good! yesterday we were out and about in milwaukee and the snow was coming down in flurries. i had my new puffer jacket (see previous post) and my new christmas scarf so was sufficiently warm!

we were out with jason's mother for the day and she took us to the Pabst Mansion. this is the 'pabst' of 'pabst blue ribbon' beer. she's a tour guide for the mansion so we really got the inside scoop - it was very interesting! she's a serious milwaukee-phile, volunteering at the mansion, the ballet, the theatre, and lots of other local treasures, so i think i'll be in good hands as i'm trying to get to know the city!

we also found a place we liked in the third ward district. but after getting home, crunching numbers and looking at the stats for the US housing market, we're still debating whether it makes sense to buy vs rent. we shall see. we're in no hurry. i've got to get to africa and back before we need to get really serious!

and tomorrow we're setting off on our 18 hour drive to denver to get some skiing in over the new years holiday. we should be there by monday night around 8ish. in time to watch the ball drop.

happy new years to you and yours wherever you are.

(oh, my mom said that blogger was forcing people to log in in order to leave comments. i think you can still tick 'nickname' and just type your name, without logging in, to leave a comment. can someone try this and let me know if it works?)

a christmas letter

i got this letter from a traveling friend and thought it was too good not to share!
merry christmas to all:


Hey all - happy holidays. Or, what I guess I really want to say is, whether you've celebrated Hannukah or Ramadan, Christmas or nothing at all - on your own in some fly-by-night town or in a living room strewn with kids and parents and a rogue aunt...I hope it's good. I hope it is really good.

One of the many inspiring people I met in Asia over the last couple of months said something that is going to stick with me. As a teacher, when he talks to his students about what they are going to do, he tells them: "Hey, it's your life. It is your choice. If this is the book of your life - when you are old - make it one you want to read."

Whether you eschew the holidays and would rather be running through the jungle, or if you've come full circle to land on your parents' couch, don't let the moment pass. It might be so much more convenient to talk about the past or rattle on about the future, but we are all laying down the story of our lives. And anyway, I've learned that all the crappy, unforeseen subplots sure make people laugh later.

Live that happiness they always talk about. Isn't that such a strange Western idea? We have so much material wealth, yet happiness always seems so elusively around the corner. Travelling helps you see that many people in the world, despite threats to their livelihoods, grinding poverty or imminent conflict, do not seek it - they live it. It can be as simple as a warm fire or a balled-up plastic bag football. The human connection, the communion with nature, the knowledge that there is a roof over one's head and some food in the belly - these bring the idea of happiness back home.

Some of you have had kids this year - hey - if that's not scary, I really don't know what is. It may be easy for some of us to jump on a plane, but harder for some of us to fall in love. It might be harder for others to wind up in a strange town, surrounded by foreign voices and suspect food, and easier for others to get on a tank and cross borders under the guise of night. None of matters, really in the end, what we do. It is really how we do it, and why.

So this is an email to toast all of you (virtually, I guess, with a whiskey somewhere around here...), and to say cheers for all of it. For keeping in touch when you can, for letting me know that you're still alive, for sending me strange pictures of babies in utero, for sending me stranger pictures of you at work, for making the impossible possible and most importantly - for never hesitating to show me - in your own way - that you are navigating the treacherous waters of this insane, beautiful and complicated world.

We're all going to be dust someday, so what better way to evade death for the moment than live?

Thanks for making this ride worth it.

merry christmas!

merry christmas from santa cruz!

it's been a great week here in california the sun is out and it's been in the 60's all week - absolutely gorgeous, the way christmas should be. (i know, i know, there are those who will argue for a white christmas - i'll get that later this week when i fly to wisconsin.) we've had a lot of jam-packed fun with the family. dinner and wine tasting at soif, a night with dan hicks and the christmas jug band, a walk through the redwoods, a few runs on west cliff drive, a santa stumble dive bar crawl through downtown santa cruz, moonrise watching party over capitola, dwight's famous BBQ ribs. a fantastic time!

here are a few pics - enjoy! and happy holidays wherever you are!

back to london

...on this whirlwind trip.
dublin was a success - a nice three days of training for my colleague who will take over most of what i do. i think (hope) she found it useful. how do i pass on everything i've learned in seven years? fortunately, she's been around for five of them, so it's not going to be too difficult.

i'm working on a new blog for my african experience. this will be a blog open to everyone i know who's interested, including people who do not (purposefully) have access to this blog. i'll link to it from this one, but i won't link the other way. so this one may become defunct for the three months i'm in the gambia. we'll see, i'm still deciding how to play this. it's so strange sometimes to have everything so open. i mean, i think i edit myself down fairly well, but sometimes it gets tricky remembering just how tactful or cautious i need to be in my writings. in any case, watch this space for the link to the new blog, if i get it up and running soon. i'd rather start my pre-african ramblings from there!

only three more full days in the UK. i leave sunday morning for SF. very very excited about seeing my family and jason. it's been a long time here this time, and bed-hopping from hotel to bunk beds to hotel to couches is getting a little tiring. not to mention the crink in my neck. tomorrow night is my official farewell party with the company ... so i expect it'll be a crazy night. and friday is my farewell with friends at the sun and doves, so probably another crazy night. i can't imagine friday day being very productive. but what the heck. tis the season!

some geographical context

in case you were wondering the size of the gambia ... i believe i'll be stationed in the south western yellow bit - but i'm waiting on final confirmation. watch this space for more info.

into africa ...

i haven't yet reported on my meeting with mondochallenge last week. i met with anthony in a cafe near the train station as he was only in town for the afternoon. it was an interesting, albeit brief, meeting where he proposed another village where i might work. this one, called darsilami, has never had a volunteer in their school. so i would be the first. intriguing, daunting, challenging, scary, but thrilling all at the same time. apparently there is a direct link from the nearest town with electricity (brikama) and it's a larger village (2000, as opposed to 300). the only small (?) issue is that the village is near the border of senegal where there has been some fighting in the past (cassamance). he assured me that it was fine now, he was in the village a few months ago to see for himself and that there wasn't anything to worry about. he also said the peace corps has a volunteer in the neighboring village - and they are the first to react and pull volunteers for safety - so i shouldn't worry.

i suppose i'm not really worried, though i must admit i've started to think about what i'm ACTUALLY doing. (what AM I actually doing?) and all the questions i should've perhaps asked before signing up are starting to niggle. i STILL don't have the guidebook for the gambia. what will i teach? how will i teach? how to manage a class of 50? 100? how not to offend, upset or frustrate local villagers. (thinking of the recent teddy bear scandal, funny, but not.)

in any case, i have a bit more research to do before i accept this new assignment, and i don't have to accept. but the other village will have 3 volunteers - so a bit redundant, and perhaps not as necessary. we shall see. i'll keep you posted when i decide. here are the pics they sent me of darsilami (you can click on the pics to see them larger):

bon jour!

my last day in paris.
it's been a huge success with work - a great two days of meetings with the site directors. and they clubbed in and bought me a camcorder that runs on AA batteries and plugs right into my computer! it should be great for gambia, if i can get the batteries to last longer than one night! in any case, i've enjoyed paris, eaten well and had plenty of nice french wine. and this morning there was a great french market just outside my hotel, blocks of fresh vegetables, meats, fruits, cheeses, breads and other knick knacks. i wish i had more time just to wander. i'm meeting a friend from highschool who found me on facebook for the afternoon, and last night i strolled down the length of the champs de elysees. it was a beautiful night!

tonight i head back to london on the eurostar, and tomorrow and friday i'll work from our london offices. on monday i fly to dublin for another three days of work. the handover is beginning and i'm training the woman who will take the bulk of my work when i leave. the end is nigh!

and thanksgiving last weekend was wonderful. so nice to see everyone and catch up. though as often happens, the red wine caught up with me a little too early and the night went rather quickly! but the food was delicious and the hospitality was brilliant. if only i hadn't had to leave quite so early on sunday morning to catch the train. that was painful.

i must find somewhere to have a delicious french lunch now. au revoir!